Katie

Had lunch at Ae's today (lasagna and salad, fruit tart and coffee) with Je, Be, Hn and Cn. The new baby in Hn's family, Katie, was there for us to coo over - all of nine weeks old and cute as anything. She certainly has grown since I saw her with her seven siblings at the breeder's place just three weeks ago.

Salt and Pepper

I tend to shave daily even though it is an activity I detest and wish I didn't have to do.

However I haven't shaved since my hospital discharge last Saturday revelling in any excuse for slothfulness during my recovery. I don't grow a very attractive beard. It is quite uneven and...oh my...all those grey whiskers! I look like a poor man's Ernest Hemingway.

The upside of recovery

This afternoon I felt the best that I have done since last week's hospitalisation. Still a bit wobbly on my feet from time to time but getting steadier.

And the best bit? I have lost four kilos in the past week and for the first time since purchasing those jazzy digital scales I registered under 90 kilos this morning.

Weigh to go!

Brave Bernadette

I know, I know. There have been few photographs of women on my blog even when they are of gay 'icons' like Bernadette Peters.

This is my fifth day of recovery from my hospitalisation and illness - recovery is proving very slow, unfortunately - and a lot of the time has been spent on my back - no not what you think, just on the sofa - watching television. Ellen De Generes every day, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters; all the shows that should bring a gay man back to life.

And I've just watched a recording of Bernadette Peters' recent Adelaide concert. Boy she is good and she is brave too. What a surprise to hear her sing There Is Nothing Like A Dame (intended for a male chorus) and Some Enchanted Evening (strictly for baritones only) and do both of them so brilliantly.

A terrific performance.

We're in the money

I just heard some University statistician say on radio that if you spent $54,000,000 buying every possible combination of numbers in tonight's record Lotto draw you'd be guaranteed the first prize of $90,000,000.

She didn't point out that should even just one other syndicate have the winning numbers too you would have to share the first prize and actually lose a minimum of $9,000,000.

As the world turns...

...quickly around me.

Apologies for the lack of blogging activity, including not keeping up to date with my extensive blog list.

This condition of disequilibrium is most disconcerting and I am spending a lot of my time resting. Hence there is very little occurring in my life at the moment and even less by way of creative thought bubbling away in my mind.

Recovery is going slowly and my GP, who I saw yesterday, tells me whilst he expects me to make a full recovery it may take six weeks to achieve.

I thought I might help the recovery process speed up a little yesterday by taking one of the little pills that both the hospital doctor and my GP prescribed for me and which are designed for nausea. These were curious pills to prescribe a patient experiencing dizziness when a principal side effect of the medication is...wait for it...dizziness but I tried one any way.

Big mistake. Within an hour I felt worse than for the past three days. I won't be taking any more.

An unexpected turn

It appears I picked up a middle ear problem on my flight back from Brisbane.

I developed a terrible sense of instability and felt as though the room was rolling around me and that I was tumbling over. I called the ambulance who reached my home within about five minutes and after an initial assessment took me to St Vincents Emergency Department. (By the way, the assessing ambulance man was very cute but I was in no state to take enjoyment in that.) I was admitted to St Vincents at 5am on Thursday and after CT scans, X-rays and other tests was assessed as suffering Disequilibrium. I was placed in the Strokes Unit for monitoring although there was no belief that I had suffered a stroke.

Unfortunately, my hospitalisation meant that I had to miss meeting with Andrew during his Sydney visit which was a disappointment for me.

I have improved and was discharged from hospital this morning but I am still reeling like a drunken man when I walk. I will see my GP on Monday for further assessment and advice.

The Brisbane birthday weekend - Part 2

Saturday: A lunch cruise on the river. It sounds a cheesy thing to do but we enjoyed it. Although rain was forecast, the weather remained fine making for a pleasant trip up and down the river. The food was reasonable and plentiful; actually the oysters and prawns were a big hit. I warned Gg to be careful of Rs' intentions that night when they consumed copious quantities of the oysters.

Once the Kookaburra Queen (yes, fitting name in the circumstances) docked we took a walk through the adjacent Botanic Gardens back to the city where we found a venue for drinks through to sunset.

Then it was off to the Casino for more drinks and random gambling. I'm not really into gambling and usually resist but the birthday spirit was in me and I played a bit of Keno and the poker (slot) machines spasmodically. Mt and Ml wisely avoided gambling altogether and kept a table base for us chatting away there whilst the rest of us came and went between gambling moments. Ll, Fd, Gg and Rs all managed jackpots of $100 or more but the birthday boy (yours truly) won zilch. I might as well have simply handed over my money to the Casino and walked out.

Sunday: And the rains came. It poured. We had planned a drive up to the Sunshine Coast and went ahead with that despite the weather. We headed for Mooloolaba and first stop was to the apartment building where Gg and Rs are in the process of buying a holiday apartment. It is in a good location a short walk from the ocean. Then it was on to the Mooloolaba Surf Club for more drinks and lunch. The large dining room filled quickly but local knowledge (ie Gg and Rs) meant we grabbed a terrific table in a corner overlooking the surf and with a view of the beach shower that would have thrilled Tracey Moffat. I enjoyed the sight of beach boys showering down after their surfing and changing (modestly unfortunately) into their casual gear. The persistent showers kept surfing numbers down but there still were a few about.

A long walk along the esplanade followed; that healthy activity balanced by the purchase of ice creams and when heavy rain returned we had the perfect excuse to duck into a nearby cafe for coffees.

Then it was the hour long drive back to Brisbane and a casual dinner of quiche, chicken and salad at Ll's.

Monday: Still raining with the occasional showers of the preceding day replaced by persistent heavy rain. I had arranged to see Rt and Jy on the Gold Coast and took the midday train for the hour long trip down to Helensvale. Rt collected me from the station for the trip to his house. Jy provided a delicious lunch of a hearty vegetable soup topped off with apple pie and chocolate ice cream whilst we chatted and viewed some (thankfully not all) of the 990 photographs they took of their recent visit to England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally St Petersburg in Russia. I returned to Brisbane by train around 7.30pm with heavy rain falling all the way.

Tuesday: Last morning. A big (too big) breakfast and then off to Brisbane Airport where I was offered a seat on a flight one hour earlier than my booked flight which I eagerly accepted. Ironically, that flight then was delayed by thirty minutes but I still arrived home in Sydney marginally ahead of when I was originally scheduled.